Local man lives out dream with military themed restaurant

Nate Peltier was 25 years old when he left the military. When he was first arrived home, his mother was the first to notice something about him was different.

Author:
Kamady Rudd

Published:
3:45 PM CDT July 9, 2017

Updated:
3:45 PM CDT July 9, 2017

Nate Peltier was 25 years old when he left the military. When he was first arrived home, his mother was the first to notice something about him was different.

"She kind of looked at me," said Peltier. "She said, you know something is different about you, and I said that I was fine."

But, something was different.

"You're in the military and have to tuck everything away," said Nate.

His problems wouldn't stay hidden for long.

"I had a really tough transition time," said Peltier. "I struggled with alcohol."

It took meeting up with fellow veterans before realizing he needed to get some help. He finally came to terms with it, and found refuge with the Salvation Army. He's been sober for almost three years now and has turned his dream into a reality.

A bobblehead sits on the window of the Silver Star Cafe&#39;s Deployed Unit.&nbsp;

"I was deployed and my friend, now business partner, was deployed at the same time," said Peltier. "We'd write back and fourth and talk about our dreams and passions. We always knew we wanted to open a military themed restaurant."

"Our whole ordering system is a rank system, or meaning that is military related," said Peltier. "We also use dog tags with numbers on them to keep orders organized."

Peltier's favorite dish is the "Colonel Peltier" which he named after his grandfather. "When you think of colonel's you think big," said Peltier. "It's one of our biggest sandwiches."

Since opening in March, Peltier says the support has been overwhelming. With veterans and civilians alike traveling from all ends of Michigan to get a taste of the Silver Star Cafe, Peltier says he is thankful. He plans to continue to pay tribute to his fellow vets in and out of the cafe.